Catching Her Rival

“You danced with Jack?”

Allie quickly said, “Don’t worry, he thought I was you at first.”

“No, don’t misunderstand.” Charlotte’s hands shook when she reached for a paper towel without breaking eye contact. “Jack and I are friends. He’s been trying to find you since he first ran into you. We thought you’d left.”

“I’ve been running around all day. I’m the sister of the groom. Do you want to sit for a minute? This is all so unbelievable.” Allie gestured to the lounge area of the ladies’ room. She was at a loss for words until she realized she hadn’t introduced herself. “I’m Allie Miller.”

Charlotte took a seat on the sofa. She hadn’t taken her eyes off Allie. “I’m very glad to meet you, Allie. This is definitely unreal.”

Allie smiled. “Isn’t it?” She sat in the chair that was at a ninety-degree angle to the sofa. “I can’t get over how much we look alike.”

“I was adopted as an infant, so I’ve never seen anyone who looks even slightly like me.”

“Me, either,” Allie said. “I was adopted, too.”

“You were! Do you think we’re related?” Charlotte shook her head. “What am I saying? I mean, we must be related. This is too crazy.”

Allie nodded her head. “There’s obviously some connection between us. People weren’t lying when they said we look alike.”

“I should go find Jack,” Charlotte said. “If that’s okay with you. He’s pretty invested in finding out our connection. Besides, I’ve been gone quite a while.” She explained her unsuccessful expedition to find another bathroom on the lower level of the building. “Man, my shoes are killing me.” She reached down to adjust the strap over her pinkie toe.

Allie laughed. “Yeah, I gathered from our conversation that he has as many questions as we do. Not that any of us have any answers. Wait—” she bent down to unbuckle one of her shoes and then the other “—go ahead.” She looked up at Charlotte. “We’ll both take off these painful things.”

Charlotte laughed and did the same. “Ohhh, that feels so good!”

“Oh, yeah!” Allie hadn’t realized how much her feet hurt until she removed her shoes. “I can see how people thought we were the same person. Our clothes and even our hairstyles are nearly identical.”

Charlotte touched her hair. “I don’t usually curl mine, but I decided to since this was a special occasion. Even our feet look the same. Size 8?”

“Exactly.” Shoes in one hand, Allie held the door for Charlotte to leave first. Charlotte toasted her with her own shoes as she passed, and Allie noticed they were the same height, too. She had to give Jack credit. Their dress color was very similar. At least until they were right next to each other.

Allie and Charlotte kept glancing at each other as they walked down the hall to where Jack sat with his drink. The looks from the few people they passed were hysterical. Even some open mouths and gasps.

Jack stood as soon as he saw them coming, a wide grin on his delicious mouth. At least Allie was pretty sure it was delicious. Her tongue wet her bottom lip.

She glanced at Charlotte, wondering if she’d ever kissed Jack. They both claimed to be merely friends, but were they friends with benefits?

She shoved her thought aside. She barely knew the man. Besides, she’d sworn off men for good.

Though she couldn’t deny the instant connection she and Jack had made.

The seating area was comprised of two matching Louis XIV chairs across from a straight-backed sofa, and an ornate black and gold-leaf coffee table that sat in the middle. Charlotte took the chair next to Jack’s, and Allie sat across from them on the sofa. Perfect spot to view this exact replica of herself. She perched on the edge of her seat, anxious to figure out this mystery.

“Tell me—”

“—about yourself.”

The two women laughed when they asked the same thing at the same time.

Jack looked from one to the other. “You’re speaking in stereo. This is really strange.”

Allie said, “You can say that again.”

Charlotte wiggled in her chair.

“What do you know about your adoption?” Allie’s heart was beating furiously.

“Nothing, actually. Yet. I only started thinking about searching for my birth parents a few days ago.” Charlotte told Allie about losing her adoptive mother to cancer and wanting to know her medical history. “My mom was older when she adopted me, in her early forties. She never married, so it was only the two of us.”

Allie saw the sadness in her eyes. “You must miss her terribly.”

“I do.” Charlotte brushed at a tear that escaped from her watery eyes. “Sorry.” Jack patted Charlotte’s arm, and she smiled wanly as she spoke to Allie. “Jack’s doing his best to cheer me up, but I do miss her every day.”

He put an arm around Charlotte’s shoulders and squeezed. Allie approved of how good a friend it seemed he was being to Charlotte.

“What do you know about your adoption?” Charlotte brushed away another tear. “Sorry. It’s still tough talking about my mom.” She sniffed.

“I’ve never looked into my adoption,” Allie said. “My mother doesn’t like to talk about it. When I was younger and asked questions, she’d say, ‘All you need to know is that we chose you and we love you.’ By the time I was an adult, I didn’t feel the need to find my biological parents. Maybe in part because I already had more family than most people.”

“Then you don’t know any more than I do.” Charlotte dabbed at a lone tear on her cheek. “You said you had a big family? Tell me about them.”

Allie smiled. “I’ve got the opposite situation from you. I’m one of five adopted children.”

Charlotte’s eyes grew round.

“My parents lost their only biological child to a rare but fatal genetic disorder that they both carry. He was only a few weeks old when he died. Instead of trying again, they opted for adoption. That’s where I came in. I was their first.” Allie brushed at a lock of hair tickling her cheek. “Shortly before I started kindergarten, they adopted a brother-and-sister pair from China. They were one and three when they came to live with us. Scott—the groom—is my brother.” She looked at Jack. “And you met my sister, Rachael. They were both born with heart abnormalities and were sent to an orphanage so their parents could have a perfect child. Little did they know, a few surgeries later and their children were as good as new.”

“So you have four younger siblings?” Charlotte asked.

“Not exactly. I was the oldest until I turned nine. That’s when my parents adopted my older brothers, Grigory and Nikolay, from Russia. They were also biological brothers. Gregory and Nicholas—Greg and Nick—came here when they were twelve and ten.”

“So you’re the middle child of five?” Charlotte’s eyes—an exact replica of Allie’s—widened.

Allie forced a smile. “That’s right. I’m sure there are hundreds of psychologists out there who would like to study me. ‘Oldest child becomes middle child. Where does this adoptee fit?’”

“At least you can joke about it,” Jack said.

Allie shrugged. “Not always.”

He seemed to be considering her response before he said, “You two are obviously related. Let’s get down to the pertinent stuff. When and where were you born?” He looked to Charlotte first.

“I was born on April 17—”

“1986?” As soon as Allie heard the month and day, she knew the year would be the same.

“Yes!” Charlotte said excitedly. “You, too?”

Allie nodded vigorously, but her excitement wouldn’t allow her to speak for a few seconds. “I was born right here in Rhode Island, but I’m not sure where.”